Lassen Peak, commonly referred to as Mount Lassen, is the southernmost active volcano of the High Cascades in California and part of the Cascade Volcanic Arc from southwestern British Columbia south to northern California.

Located in northern California, Lassen stands 3,500 ft (1,100 m) above the surrounding terrain and has a volume of 0.5 cubic miles (2 km3), making it one of the largest lava domes on the Earth.

On May 22, 1915, a powerful explosive eruption at Lassen Peak devastated nearby areas, and spread volcanic ash as far as 200 miles to the east. This explosion was the most powerful in a series of eruptions from 1914 through 1917.

Lassen Peak and Mount Saint Hellens are the only two volcanoes in the contiguous United States to erupt during the 20th century.

Lassen Peak arose from the previously destroyed northeastern flank of the now gone Mount Tehama, a stratovolcano which once stood at over 11,000 feet, possibly as much as 1,000 feet higher than Lassen Peak′s elevation today.

Elevation: 10,463 feet (3,187 m)

Prominence: 5,230 feet (1,594 m)

Coordinates: 40.488173 -121.505008

Last Eruption: 1914-1921

Volcano Type: Lava Dome

Nearest City: Redding, CA is 46 miles to the west

Range: Lassen Peak is part of the Cascade Volcanic Arc

Summits:

First Climbed: 1851 by Gorver Godfrey

Access to Summit: Volcanic Legacy Scenic Byway, Lassen Peak Trail

Age: 27,000 year old

Native Name: Kohm Yah-mah-nee (Mountain Maidu tribe)

Pacific Coast

High Cascades Ecoregion

Up at five am and check out the sky for possible meteorites but the sunglow has already begun and most of the stars are even gone so I go back to sleep until eight. Upon getting up, I fix a cup of coffee and head for the visitors center and get my Junior Ranger Night Explorer patch. Then I visit a couple of caves and walk a short ways into each.

Finally, I head to Lassen Volcano Volcanic National Park and upon arriving at the north entrance find it to be closed, so instead of going around to the south entrance, I make my way east into Nevada towards the Great Basin National Park.